1 90 ON THE ALTITUDE AND APPEARANCE OF 



XXI. On the Altitude and Appearanee of the Wellingtonia 

 gigantea. By Robert Hutchison of Carlo wrie, F.R.S.E., 

 &c. (Plate III.) 



Travellers from the Sierra Xevada, and other high altitudes of 

 California, have told us, and enthusiastic writers have pictured in 

 ■words of glowing interest, and enriched with varied anecdote, 

 delineations of this mighty giant of the woods in its own native 

 habitats. But much as we may value such descriptions, and 

 interesting as they undoubtedly are in themselves, they but convey 

 to the mind's eye of the arborist in this country an imperfect vision 

 and idea of what a personal inspection with the eye of sense alone, 

 of the form, appearance, and proportions of the actual tree itself, 

 could thoroughly and conclusively realise. To what height and 

 dimensions the Wellingtonia may ultimately attain in Great Britain, 

 where it has now been fairly acclimatised, it is of course impossible 

 to foretell ; the rapidity of annual growth with which it has in- 

 augurated its career in all sorts of situations, augurs well for its 

 attaining, in no distant decade of years, to majestic proportions, 

 ecpial at least to the dimensions of any of our Avell-known and 

 established timber trees of the coniferous family, if not (as is more 

 probable) superior to all of them in this respect. 



In the meantime, forecasting what the appearance of the landscape 

 of our native hill sides may be in future generations, from the 

 numerous acquisitions of rare beauty of foliage, hue, and form, which 

 have been made of recent years to our arboricultural flora, and 

 indulging in the fancy that these newer coniferae may attain, in this 

 the land of their adoption, their usual dimensions in their native 

 homes, the accompanying interesting illustration (Plate III.) will do 

 more to convey to the members of this Society a vivid picture of 

 how most of our tallest monuments and noblest edifices will appear 

 relatively to the dimensions of a full-grown Wellingtonia, and how 

 they will be dwarfed by its towering proportions. 



This illustration of a most interesting subject I have been able to 

 present to the members of this Society by the kindness of my 

 friend, John Ord M'Kenzie, Esq. of Dolphinton, in whose posses- 

 sion is the original oil painting from which it has been taken. 



The picture is understood to have been painted many years ago, 

 for and under the directions of the late Colonel James Fergusson, 

 II.E.I.C.S., a brother of Sir Adam Fergusson, and a great friend (as 



